Adding That Extra Kick Back Into Your Career

June 14, 2018

by Ian D Scofield

In our last article, we talked about the different signs that you might need to revitalize your career. Now that you have identified those signs it comes time to take steps to add an extra kick back into your step. This article will have some of the best ways to add that little bit of revitalization that you need.

Keep in mind that what works for one officer might not work for them all. You might have to custom tailor a solution that works for you. Without further ado…

Set New Goals

One of the first things that you can try to give your career something new is setting new goals. Goals are what fuel us throughout our life. They give us something to aim for and something to achieve. Once we meet our goals, it gives us a great sense of accomplishment.

An important step is to keep setting new goals as you achieve your previous goals. Try to find work related goals such as promoting or getting new certifications.

Rewrite Your Resume

Having a professional resume will do more than just prepare you for a career. As you spend time working on your resume you are able to see how much you have learned and how far you have come. Plus it never hurts to have a resume ready in case you have a job offer or that dream job comes up.

Write a generic cover letter and biography too to help spruce up your LinkedIn. This will also give you time to reflect on all of the things you have accomplished throughout your career.

Get A New Certification

Certifications can allow us to work in specialized units or take on new tasks. These certifications also potentially give you the ability to help someone. What they for sure will give you, is the ability to do better at your job. Mental health certifications are extremely helpful in the current climate, as is drug recognition expert.

Offer To Help New Officers

Whether you want to become an FTO or you just want to lend a helping hand, there are plenty of ways that you can help out officers who are new to the department. The benefit is that you start to see how much you have learned and how much you can pass on to a new generation of crime fighter.

Mentors are always needed and it doesn’t necessarily have to be with your own department. Professional associations can help you partner with people who need help with tasks that every department shares, such as report writing. On the other hand, you can go the route of teaching paid classes for agencies such as APTI. Knowledgeable and skilled instructors are always needed.

Lateral Transfer

Depending on what stage in your career you are at, considering a lateral transfer might be a good option for giving your career some new life. Most departments allow you to transfer in as long as you have an accredited academy certification. If you are from out of state, you might have to retake certain classes. Either way, a new department can offer you new challenges, new faces, and plenty of other experiences.

While applying for a federal agency or specialty agency may not allow for a lateral transfer, joining a new type of law enforcement might also be what you are looking for. There is quite the alphabet soup out there and with that a little something for everyone.

Try A New Career

Sometimes the career you start in isn’t the career you want to end in. You might not even know it when starting out. If everything you try fails to revitalize your energy at work, it might be time to consider a job outside of law enforcement. There are so many different opportunities out there that you can take up. Spend a moment on LinkedIn or any job search website and you can find thousands of open positions around the world.

Ask Your Sergeant (Or Other Higher Up)

Chances are that your sergeant has been through something similar to what you are going through. Ask them what they did to get over the hump. You can also ask them what they think of your performance and what they think your motivation has been. People tend to notice where your passion lies, even when you can’t.

Ask A Career Counselor

There are people whose job is just to help others with their careers. Sometimes larger organizations will have someone like this as part of their HR staff but even if your department doesn’t have a career counselor, you can find one outside of work. Schedule some time to sit down with someone like this and they will help you to explore what you can do to change up your work life.

Now you know some of the best ways to get life back into your career, take to them. It isn’t healthy to have a career that you can’t enjoy and changing your career so that you can enjoy it will help to make your job easier. Who doesn’t want to have an easier job? No matter what you do to revitalize your career, make sure you stay safe out there.

About The Author:

Ian is a staff writer at APTI and hospital security officer at a major medical center who has a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice with a Specialization in Administration of Justice. He has held multiple positions in the security industry from patrol supervisor to auxiliary public safety officer. At APTI he brings his writing skills to help further the careers of others and provide quality content. Feel free to visit hisfreelancing site or hiscreative writing site.

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